I was only the driver: Amazing story of World War Two bomber pilot from Northern Ireland

As I listen to the story of Flying Officer Ernest Leonard Harwood Steele, told with affection and admiration by his daughter Heather, my only regret is that I’ll never get to meet the man himself.

Ernie died on July 1, 2009, at the age of 91. Having heard his life story it’s hard to fathom how he reached his 10th decade given his proximity to danger during World War Two.

Ernest, known to everyone as Ernie, was born in Pansy Street off the Newtownards Road in east Belfast on June 22, 1918.

In the period around VE Day his daughter Heather put up a display on her fence at her home in Tandragee of some of the soldiers, including her dad, and nurses from Northern Ireland who came to their country’s aid during WWII.

Ernie had achieved high grades at school and went on to further education at Belfast Technical College, but Heather said that coming from the east of the city and having family members work in Harland & Wolff, her father decided to follow in their footsteps as an engineer. But World War Two put paid to those plans.

The day war was declared he was a member of the Territorial Army (Royal Artillery).

Heather said: “He was at TA camp in Newtownards and it wasn’t long afterwards that he was off to France. As war progressed, he found himself in the Dunkirk area, trapped and unable to get to a beach for evacuation.

“He told many stories – some not so light hearted. One I recall is how he had a tin of ‘bully beef’, found some crackers and enjoyed a picnic taking cover under a bin lorry.”

But back in home in Belfast the news from France was not good. Ernie’s mother received a telegram to say her son was missing presumed dead. She sought a second opinion.

Heather explained: “A neighbour, Mrs Smeltzer, was a spiritualist. She asked my grandmother for something belonging to her son. My gran gave her Ernie’s scarf.

“She told my grandmother that he was cold and wet but he’d be coming home. Quite remarkably a few days later, Ernie was wading out to a fishing boat off the French coast, cold and wet, and was back on leave in Northern Ireland within a week or so.”

It was while he was on leave that Ernie went to see Major Anderson, whose family owned Anderson & McAuley Department Store in Belfast. During his interview Ernie asked for a transfer to the Royal Air Force as he had made up his mind that he wanted to fight the war from the air.

Heather said: “After much persuasion it was agreed that he could transfer to the RAF and train as a bomber pilot.”

Ernie was sent to South Africa for flight training.

Heather said: “His flying instructor was an Afrikaans gentleman called Willie Brandt. He ran a tight ship and on a few occasions Ernie told me there was what he described as a clash of personalities.

“That said, a tremendous friendship was to develop over the years. The day my father received his wings Willie flew from Johannesburg to Durban to present them to him.

“Whilst in Johannesburg, Ernie met some Jewish folk who entertained him every Friday evening in the Jewish Institute. He went on to receive honorary membership.”

Further training in Canada and USA followed. He was in Pensacola the day Pearl Harbour was bombed and recalls people collapsing in the streets.

Heather said: “Ernie went back to the UK and was flying sorties from Scotland and then Yorkshire, somewhere in the vicinity of Selby. Records show he flew the Halifax and the Wellington Bomber.”

Ernie met Madge Wilson in Woolworths on High Street, where she was a window dresser. They married on November 11, 1944 and after a very brief honeymoon in Portstewart, he was swiftly back to flying missions.

Heather said: “I asked my dad on many occasions if he was ever scared and his response was always the same – ‘no, I just got on with the job’.

“I have seen records where his plane was hit with flack and also had to make an emergency landing. My father had the philosophy that nothing was going to happen to him. Perhaps many had a similar philosophy as it was a good defence mechanism to help overcome fear. “

He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-1945. Posthumously he was awarded the Bomber Command Clasp.

When the war ended Ernie went back to work in the shipyard. Later he helped to set up Standard Telephone & Cables in NI in the 1960s.

Heather said: “Dad was a devoted family man to my mum, sister Joyce and myself.

“All of his life my father taught us to respect everyone and embrace culture. He was probably one of the humblest people I have ever known and when asked about his role as a pilot I can still hear him say, ‘sure I was only the driver’.”

Heather, a committee member of The Royal College of Nursing History of Nursing Network NI. said: “I have an interest in both world wars, specifically military nursing history.

“Our group is currently involved in a project about local nurses who served both at home and abroad in the Second World War with the hope of producing a small booklet. We have successfully got a plaque into Belfast City Hall for our WWI Nurses.”

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